Netflix Inc. and DISH Network Corp have finally come together, according to an announcement made on Wednesday. The deal with Dish in no way means Netflix will be free for Dish subscribers. However, the deal makes it much easier for Netflix users who also subscribe to Dish Network to watch Netflix content.
Netflix search integration later
For now, Dish will add an app for Netflix to its set-top boxes which will allow the satellite TV company’s viewers to view Netflix without changing inputs or using a different remote. Dish customers will now be able to watch Netflix with just one click of a button
Viewers can easily access the Netflix app directly by pressing the blue button on the Dish remote or via the menu system. The satellite provider said in the coming months, the service will be available on the Joey, Super Joey and Wireless Joey client boxes.
As of now, Netflix’s search results are not shown on the Hopper’s native search, but the companies have informed users that in time, Netflix titles “could be integrated into the search functionality across live, recorded and video on demand programs for both the Hopper as well as DISH’s forthcoming OTT service.”
A win-win deal
Rumors of Netflix partnering with cable set-top boxes emerged last year when it was said the company was in discussions with companies like Comcast Corporation and Suddenlink Communications. In 2014, the Netflix app was added to the TiVo platform via small providers like Suddenlink, RCN, Grande, and Atlantic Broadband, but the deal with Dish is its first major breakthrough. However, the first set-top deal for Netflix was with Virgin Media in the U.K. last fall.
Netflix has long been making efforts to partner with pay-TV providers to expand the number of viewers for its streaming service. The company was able to win some deals in Europe and with a few small cable operators in the U.S. but was unable to come to terms with any of the major American TV providers until now.
The partnership does make sense for Dish too, as it has plans for an “over-the-top” TV service delivered via the internet that would target a similar kind of viewers who enjoy Netflix. The partnership between the two giants is surely monumental, as it is the first of its kind. It seems both Dish and Netflix have agreed on the philosophy “If you can’t beat them, join them.”
